‘Tis the season when the blog-o-sphere is cluttered with writers’ wish lists. Google “gifts for writers” and you’ll discover things like:
- A book clock
- A bathrobe – because we all know writers don’t wear real clothes while writing
- Moleskin notebooks (I love these things—not that I need another notebook.)
- Jewelry for writers
- The MBT Novelist Starter Pack (Didn’t think I’d forget that, did you?)
It’s all well and good to drop “all I want for Christmas” hints during this time of the year. How else will people know that you long for a ceramic tray that looks like a notepad? And I have a few hints about gifts to give yourself this season that will help you be a better writer in 2013.
- Give yourself the gift of less. December is one of the busiest months of the year. We try to keep up with our regular schedule—and a whole lot more. Don’t. Do. It. All. Be a wise woman or a wise man and stop doing everything. I’m not blogging during the month of December. I’m giving myself permission to stop – to rest. Consider this: How can you give yourself the gift of doing less?
- Give yourself the gift of more. There are only 24 hours in my day – and I know there are only 24 hours in your day too. The only way I can give myself more time is to say no to something – to step away from something I’m already doing. It boils down to the question of good versus best. Earlier this year I had to say no to a local critique group because while it was good, it was not the best use of my time. Consider this: Is there one thing you could step away from that would give you more time in 2013?
- Give yourself the gift of solitude. For all the talk of writing being a solitary pursuit, writers are an awfully connected group. Twitter and Facebook and Google+ and personal blogs and online communities … and we have to do this stuff, right? Where’s the solitude? Where’s the time to pause, to pray, to listen for God’s voice in all this? Consider this: When can you give yourself the gift of solitude – the time to come away and be still and know that God is … and that his ears are open to your prayers?
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MBT’s Skills Coach, Beth K. Vogt provides her readers with a happily ever after woven through with humor, reality, and God’s lavish grace. Her inspirational contemporary romance novel, Wish You Were Here, debuted May 2012 (Howard Books.) Her second novel, Catch a Falling Star, releases May 2013. Beth is an established magazine writer and former editor of Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International. Visit with Beth at her website bethvogt.com.